


life changes as i burn my dread

by Vri



Category: Persona 3, Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Alternate Universe, Time Travel, aka hey can i stick this in, and chapter notes, but idk if itll work jdhfkja, honestly idk what to put here, ill add relationships as i see fit, pls i wanna write akeshu, rating prone to change, those are good ideas, you should probably read the summary
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:21:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21689035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vri/pseuds/Vri
Summary: Kurusu Akira and Akechi Goro were the only ones who were supposed to wield the power of the Wild Card. However, there's a certain someone who comes and disrupts the balance; disrupts the game.
Comments: 21
Kudos: 88





	1. "excuse me, what the fuck?"

**Author's Note:**

> HEY GUESS WHO GOT ANOTHER FLIPPIN IDEA
> 
> HEY GUESS WHO ALSO HAS LIKE 5 DRAFTS
> 
> MEEEEEEE
> 
> so like uhhh...this is basically my brain in love w the p3 protag oop. essentially he was yeeted over to the timeline of p5 cuz of the velvet room kinda being cucked to serve as additional assistance for the "trickster," except minato doesn't know what the fuck thats supposed to mean so he chillin
> 
> unfortunately, seeing as less than three years of studying japanese is nowhere enough to get me to actually understand royal's plot changes, this will be following the general storyline of vanilla p5 (at least till i figure "hey time to fuck canon with a chainsaw”)

Arisato Minato was dead. There was no truer truth in his mind. He had cast the Great Seal in the final battle with Nyx, and had given up his soul in the process. Clinging to a single month of feeble life, he had been able to keep his promise with his friends and meet them on the roof of Gekkoukan High on graduation day. By all means, he should be able to rest in peace. As peacefully as being an existential door in the middle of nowhere and everywhere at the same time allows for, anyways. Essentially, he should have just been kept at his station in the Sea, making sure Erebus can't go over to Nyx and cause the Fall.

So why the _fuck_ is standing on a crowded Tokyo train?

It's not like he even _wanted_ to be here. While not the most exciting job, he had been perfectly content as a cosmic cockblocker, thank you very much. So once again, that raises the question as to why the actual hell he's on the damn train, alive and breathing, and definitely not some component of a door. Why he's dressed in a white turtleneck, black blazer, red plaid pants. Whoever the hell designed Shujin Academy's uniform...he'd love to have a word with them.

But ah, that was of no importance. He'd finally reached his stop, and, slinging his bag more comfortably over his shoulder, he stepped off the train and somehow made his way to the exit. Iwatodai, even though it was technically a city, was never as... _lively_ as Tokyo. _It's fucking Tokyo, of course it's going to be insane._ Minato chides himself inwardly for thinking that it would be anything even remotely like what he'd always known. Great, thrust back into the world of the living without any warning nor notice, and whoever was responsible didn't even bother to put him somewhere he'd be comfortable. Seriously, why couldn't it have been Iwatodai again? Or at least Inaba; the small country town was right about as quiet and boring as the former. Nope, it had to be Tokyo.

Inwardly griping about his situation, Minato stopped in front of the entrance to his new high school. He'd enrolled himself as a second-year; biologically, he was still sixteen, and it would just be a lot easier on his mental state to _not_ have to learn new academic material as well as adjust himself to the hustle and bustle of a major city. Oh, right, and re-adjust himself to living in general. He really couldn't forget about that one.

Honestly, the proceedings passed by in a murky blur. Minato really wasn't paying attention - probably not a good idea, because he'd have to remember where his classroom is - but before he knew it, he was standing in front of the room he'd be confined to for a majority of the day. He probably would have remained spaced-out if it wasn't for the incredible tug of power coming from the room. It was almost like...there was another Persona-user in the room. But not just _any_ Persona-user, no. This person had to have been insanely powerful for him to have felt their presence this strongly. And that caused him to wonder...might they have been like him? Might this person have the power of the Wild Card?

Striding forward into the room, Minato made brief eye contact with his new homeroom teacher, Ms. Kawakami, before turning to the rest of the class to introduce himself. "My name is Minato Arisato. It's nice to meet you." His voice came out slightly hoarse - how long had it been since he'd last spoken? He hadn't talked at all on the trains, as per the rules, and it wasn't as though he really needed to speak as the Seal. So...it had to have been a solid few years. Yikes. He really didn't sound bad for someone who hadn't spoken in _literal years._ The thought alone almost made him miss where Kawakami had assigned him, which was to the right of some fluffy-haired kid and _oh_ , this kid is where that power is coming from. Well, shit, that just changed things.

As he made his way to his seat, he could feel the kid's slate-coloured eyes tracking him from the chalkboard to the desk. He could probably feel an aura coming off of him, too. Sitting down, Minato pulled some school supplies out of his bag, and he could absolutely swear that he heard a cat meowing. Coming from the kid. Or...his desk? His bag? Sighing deeply, the newly-resurrected boy idly doodled on his paper as morning announcements droned on. It's not as though anything _interesting_ was happening. So _why exactly was he_ needed? That was the question that plagued him all throughout his first day of school. A few people tried to come up and talk to him, but he was so lost in thought that they probably thought he was some haughty little shitbag who didn't want to associate himself with them. Oops.

It's not as though he was able to fix that, though. The bell was ringing and what the fuck why was there a weird eyeball app on his phone, Minato did _not_ download something even remotely like it. Except maybe that one time he played a horror game, but that had been on his computer and not his phone, for God's sake. Well...it was, after all, a new life. He might as well live a little, right?

Minato tapped on the icon.

Immediately, the Scramble around him distorted and warped in waves of red and black, and _God, he's never felt a headache this bad since Tartarus._ Clutching at his head, Minato almost toppled over from the pain, but it soon faded away as his settings restored themselves...not really. The people around him seemed to be frozen in time, stuck doing whatever it was that they'd been doing, with Minato being the only one to move. That is, until a very familiar voice echoed in his mind. Sure, it wasn't like he'd not heard Orpheus at _all_ during his astounding ten hours alive, but it had been as it always was in the real world: quiet, barely distinguishable from his own mental voice. But this was something entirely different. It was very clearly Orpheus, with his own voice, sounding exactly as he had during the Dark Hour.

It didn't last long. He blinked, and everything was perfectly fine. People were moving, Orpheus was silent once again, no pounding migraine. Even though it was as if nothing had happened, though...Minato was on guard. Something was up with Tokyo, and it probably had a lot to do with that weird app.

And Minato, even though he really didn't want to be here, had an obligation to protect humanity. So, groaning internally, he set his resolve to figure out exactly what the hell was going on and fix it as soon as possible so that he could leave.


	2. confusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dead week started! you know what that means?
> 
> FINALS!!!
> 
> aka probably the worst time for me to be writing but you knOW WHAT I DONT CARE
> 
> i probably should tho huh
> 
> ANYWAY for anyone who might be confused by how i refer to iwatodai and tokyo as two completely different places. because of how entirely different the feel of the games are (p5 feels much more hectic while p3 is calmer), i made the executive decision to have iwatodai be something like, a small place in the outskirts of tokyo or smth. idk, hes not gonna complain about it anymore ee
> 
> OH SINce I FORGOT TO ADD A SPECIFIC TIME AS TO WHEN THIS OCCURS. im making this like right before kamoshida's palace has been beaten, but uhhhh its morgana, ann, akira, and ryuji  
> yeah thats the important bit ok bye

"What do you mean, he felt 'weird'?"

Akira Kurusu really didn't know what to make of the transfer student. Not to mention that he looked weird - really, blue hair? And the fact that his eyebrows were also blue made it clear that the colour was natural - but there was just something...strange about him. When he'd mentioned it to the not-a-cat he'd hid in his desk, though, Morgana didn't seem to have felt a single thing about this Arisato person.

Sighing, Akira buried his head in his hands, shaking his head in defeat. "I don't know. Something just felt off about him. He had...a weird presence. You sure you didn't feel it, Morgana?" He asked, still getting accustomed to talking to a cat. "Because it was really strong. Almost like a gravitational pull in a weird way."

Morgana merely stared up at the curly-haired boy, bright blue eyes searching slate-grey ones. The silence continued on for a while until the cat sighed softly. "I really don't know, Akira. I didn't feel anything about him at all. How about you, Lady Ann?"

Ann, brushing her hair out of her face, shrugged helplessly. She seemed to be having some issues with the wind on the rooftop, seeing that her hair kept flying into her mouth whenever she tried to speak, but things eventually worked out. "I didn't feel anything, either. Have you been resting okay? Maybe it's that." She suggested helpfully, although it clearly wasn't what Akira was looking for if the frown on his features was anything to go off of. "Look, Akira, I'm sorry - maybe it's kind of like that thing that lets you summon multiple Personas? Like, something that only you can sense." 

"Okay, but who are you three even talking about?"

Oh, and Ryuji was late. He'd probably needed to stay after for school stuff. At least, it would explain why he was late. 

"Seriously," Ryuji continued. "Who's this A...Ari...Arisaki? Arisato? This Arisato person that's got you guys all worked up. Somthin's got to be going on, but I dunno if I wanna think about these kinds've things when we still got Kamoshida to think about, y'know?"

It was a good point. They all had to work out whether or not they wanted to steal Kamoshida's Treasure; whether or not they were willing to take the risk of actually killing him. Logically speaking, they really didn't have time to think about a weird pull that only one person could feel. And yet, Akira felt like this was important. Like this was something that needed to be sorted out as quickly as possible. He couldn't figure out _why_ Arisato felt so important - he just _did_ , and that uncertainty was something that Akira never, ever liked to experience.

"Minato Arisato. He's a transfer in my class. When he came up, I felt some sort of...pull. Kind of like a connection." Akira tried his best to explain, he really did, but it was clear that Ryuji wasn't really getting it. "I don't know either, Ryuji. It just feels like he's going to be important for some reason, and I don't like not knowing why."

A thoughtful but tense silence passed between the four of them as they pondered on Akira's strange situation. However, they didn't have much time before Morgana interrupted the other three with the same question he'd been posing with his mere presence alone: "Are you three going to steal Kamoshida's Treasure?"

* * *

Being in the Metaverse was something that they were all growing rapidly accustomed to. Hell, it was almost enjoyable - minus, of course, the absolutely _horrible_ decor. Oh, and the Shadows. Couldn't forget about those. But other than that, there was a certain freedom to running about in the halls of Kamoshida's castle, lurking in the shadows and whatnot. It almost felt surreal, really, but then again, it was a parallel dimension based on the cognition of others (or something like that); of _course_ it would be weird.

But, well, nothing could have prepared Akira and his team for the weird monster that Kamoshida's Shadow had turned into. From a more or less carbon copy of the perverted teacher with a drastic change in attire, he (it?) went to...well, an absolutely hideous creature with an oversized head, bulging eyes, a lolling green tongue, and several other, ah, _unappealing_ features. Not even attempting to hide a disgusted shudder, Akira - no, Joker - and his teammates all started chipping away at the monstrosity that was Kamoshida's inner self. 

Fire, electricity, wind, and curses. They all swirled in the air around the Shadow, sizzling and burning and cutting and slowly but surely forcing the Shadow to its knees. A final burst of red-hot flames and a tossed crown later, and the four Thieves were standing just outside Shujin Academy, holding an Olympic medal.

And Akira felt it again.

A pulling, tugging sensation, and when he looked in its direction, he saw him. Arisato. Granted, the short male was just on his phone doing whatever, but it still unnerved him just how strong of a sensation it was. He couldn't help the shivers that ran along his spine, up and down his body like lightning so similar to Captain Kidd's.

"Yo, Akira, you okay?" Ryuji slung an arm around the raven's shoulders, tracking his gaze over to the seated Arisato. "That the guy?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "Hate to say it, but I didn't feel anything weird, either. I mean, he looks interesting. Ya don't see a lot of people with blue hair. But that's it."

Sighing, Akira nodded in defeat. It had kept cropping up every class day, and yet he wasn't ever any closer to figuring out why he felt such a strange connection with Arisato. Perhaps Ann was right, and it had to do with his uniqueness. In which case, there were really only three people he could ask (technically two, since Caroline and Justine sometimes felt like the same person). But he wasn't sure whether or not he _could_ go to the Velvet Room with those kinds of questions - it might not be seen as necessary for his "rehabilitation," or whatever it was.

In any case, it wasn't worth thinking about. Not when he had just been romping around in a Palace and needed some damn _sleep_ , because it really was ridiculously tiring to go around fighting even normal Shadows. 

With the thought of heading back to Leblanc and crashing on his attic mattress, it was all too easy to forget about Arisato. At least for the time being.

After all, it was something that they could deal with later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was listening to the p3 soundtrack while writing this
> 
> uh  
> i  
> dont know what to do rn  
> pls forgive i dont know how to write combat :(


	3. pancakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> pancake boy comes in boiz

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys its finals week but fuck studying uwu heres this chapter ig
> 
> im trying to work on chapter length but writing long stuff is something i such IMMENSELY at. esp since for now its just buildup and i wanna get it oveR WITH SO WE CAN GET INTO THE FUN STUFF.

Goro had a formula, at this point, for his life.

Perhaps it was a bit sad that his daily life was so predictable, but it was certainly better than the alternative. Yes, he'd much rather be filling out paperwork as Tokyo's own Detective Prince than rotting away at the orphanage.

Or on the streets. Same thing.

But recently, things had taken a rather interesting turn with these...Phantom Thieves. Stealing the hearts of the wicked - how ridiculously childish and...idyllic, in a way. Perhaps it was that little child inside of him that was speaking, but something about these Thieves made him consider, for the briefest of moments, that they might be able to help him with his goal. After all, Shido was something far worse than wicked.

But, well. There wasn't any time for Goro to indulge in childish fantasies. He had an interview to prepare for, and Shido had some very specific things that he needed said in that interview. He had to steel himself, prepare himself to play the role of Shido's puppet for just a bit more.

The usual pleasantries were exchanged. A greeting, some flattery, and _oh_ , the question about the Phantom Thieves had already been asked. Well, then. That was faster than he had expected. But he took it all in stride - keeping his sunny persona and disposition up. He'd even used that Santa Claus joke he'd been debating on the night before. More flattery. Goro was starting to fall asleep on set; this really was starting to get far too predictable for his taste. Detective or not, their script was just far too obvious. He could have sworn he'd seen someone asleep in the guest chairs.

"Now then," the female host clapped her hands with a smile even brighter than the lights set up all around them. "Let's try asking some students the same age as Akechi-kun what they think of the Phantom Thieves!"

The proposal was...interesting, to say the least. He did want to see what some of the present students thought - especially because they were from Shujin. If he remembered correctly, that was the school where the first activity of these Thieves had been seen. Their insight would most likely be the most intriguing to hear, seeing as they were so close to the Thieves in a way.

It seemed as though about thirty percent of the people present thought that the Thieves actually existed. Considering how far-fetched the notion of "stealing hearts" was to begin with...that was actually quite a high number. Goro's eyes narrowed imperceptibly; he wanted - no, _needed_ \- to know more. He needed to know what they really thought, past whether or not they existed. Upon his request, the announcer got up from her seat, walked over into the crowd, and stopped in front of some curly-haired kid with glasses. Poor guy.

"All right, let's try asking this student here," the woman, extending the microphone, nodded at the student. "Hypothetically speaking, what are your thoughts on these Phantom Thieves, if they were real?" Goro couldn't see her expression from behind, but the excitement in her tone was nowhere near forced. It seemed that she, too, shared the same thoughts as him.

The boy pondered the question, actually thinking about the question as opposed to just answering right off the bat. That made Goro even more excited to hear his response. Eventually, a few seconds later, the boy spoke with steely conviction; steely like his eyes. "They're justice itself." This boy, looking so demure and mousy, suddenly straightened in his seat with the question, and it was an absolute transformation. A transformation that Goro almost felt _honoured_ to witness. The glasses did nothing to hide the sharpness in his gaze; his carefully controlled tone failed to veil the unwavering conviction at the root of his words. And Goro _knew_ , from one moment of meeting that boy's eyes, that he wasn't faking it. That he really did believe in the Phantom Thieves, that he truly did see them as the epitome of "justice."

It fascinated Goro to no end.

Eyes glittering, Goro, too, straightened even more, leaning forward just the slightest bit - he didn't know why, but that student intrigued him. "You say that with such firmness." He said lightly, the tiniest smile tugging at his lips. He wanted to say something more, but that damnable show host interrupted him with an obvious remark about how that opinion _goes against what you'd said earlier_ , no shit it did. He almost didn't hear what the host said, only barely managing to respond coherently about how _truly intriguing_ it was to hear such a strong opinion. "But, in any case, I'd like to hear other opinions. This is quite fascinating, after all."

After briefly thanking the curly-haired kid for his opinion (Goro would have to find him again later), the woman moved on to go torture another kid at his request. He'd figured that Shujin students would have interesting opinions, yes, but he hadn't expected them to be _that_ strong. But as he had been reflecting, the woman had already asked another student about his opinion.

That student she was standing in front of seemed vastly different from the first. While the curly-haired student seemed plain shy and somewhat mischievous, this one, with long blue hair swept over his face and an entirely apathetic expression, he just looked detached and _empty_ _._ It was enough to give Goro chills, for just a moment, the look in his single visible eye. He tipped his head back as though to stretch (he really had been sleeping) before indulging the audience with his thoughts. "I don't really care." The boy spoke in a completely dead and flat tone. So unlike anyone he'd ever heard - the closest he'd ever heard to that specific tone was the people on the force during the morning shift who hadn't had their coffee. And even then, it wasn't quite right; this boy's voice, for the strangest reason, spoke of _death_.

The first boy seemed just as intrigued, having twisted in his seat to face the blue-haired kid. "And what," Goro asked, "makes you say that?" Three completely different opinions. One, technically Shido's, saying that they should be tried and probably arrested. Two, that they are the literal manifestation of justice. And three...the most enigmatic response of them all. If the first boy, with his strong views, piqued his interest, this second boy had taken it and run - all while leaning back in his seat as if he's on the verge of falling back asleep.

"They're not that interesting to me, I guess." Ah, well. Apparently, Goro hadn't been wrong when he thought that this boy's eyes spoke of death and other things unseen by the rest of the world. 

For most of the rest of the interview, Goro remained caught up in his own thoughts, barely paying any attention to the hosts. He had much more important things to think about. Namely, those two students. The first one...well, Goro had his own theories. It wasn't implausible for him to either know who the Phantom Thieves were, or be one himself. That sort of raw conviction and passion don't just come from nowhere - he had to be involved _somehow._ At the very least, he must have been a victim of either Kamoshida or Madarame - although the former was more likely since any of the latter would have been on the news of some kind. Now, it was still interesting and Goro wanted to know more about him. But the last boy...Goro really and truly didn't know what to make of him. People weren't usually ever so nonchalant about something so newsworthy, and yet there he was, sitting there like it didn't matter at all.

_Just what kinds of things has he seen?_

* * *

Goro had seen his Phantom Thief suspects on his way out. Exchanged some small talk. Even walked off with the curly-haired kid's name and contact information. He was really in the mood for pancakes once that was all over and done with. Seeing as he had the rest of the day free (surprisingly), he made the executive decision to go and get something sweet. After all, there was a pretty good pancake place just a little bit away from the station.

That decision proved to be more productive than just getting a rare indulgence. He saw that blue-haired kid from Shujin pondering the crepe menu. Goro had to seize his chance - he didn't know if he'd ever see the kid again. So, walking up to the kid, Goro tapped him on the shoulder with a polite wave. "Hello," he greeted politely, charming smile decorating his features like always. "I recognised you from the station, and I found it only fitting to say hello. As you know, my name is Goro Akechi. May I know your name?"

The kid - huh, he was pretty short - gave Goro a strange look. It was one of brief recognition, but it was almost like he was looking _past_ Goro as opposed to looking directly at him. He was silent for a while before finally responding in a quiet and velvety murmur: "Minato Arisato."

"It's nice to make your acquaintance, Arisato-san." Goro bowed just a bit; a practiced habit that many found charming. Arisato seemed to not care. "I found your opinions in the station to be quite intriguing. If you wouldn't mind, would you mind exchanging contact information with me? I would like to hear your insights more often." He tilted his head, another thing that people seemed to like. Arisato still didn't seem to care about it, but he pulled his phone out anyway and suddenly, Goro had the numbers of two admittedly very cute boys. _I can't believe I just thought that._

After an awkward silence, Goro tried once again to strike up a conversation. "So, if you wouldn't mind me asking. Do you truly think so little of the Phantom Thieves?" Genuine curiosity filled his voice; he really did want to know more about Arisato and his opinions. Especially since they were so strangely neutral, but he didn't seem like a disillusioned high schooler. "Or is there something preoccupying your mind at the moment?"

He only earned a shrug as Arisato walked up to the counter to order his crepe. Well, he would be a bit difficult. But, right as Goro was about to say something else, he was met with Arisato's whispering voice again. "You could say that." But unfortunately for Goro, the boy's attention was taken by the crepe he was handed a few moments later. Goro sighed. He wasn't getting anywhere with Arisato today.

"Well, thank you for your time." Goro said simply, figuring he'd let Arisato alone for a bit. He'd probably text him later. "I'll hopefully talk to you again."

With that, Goro walked out of the shop with far more questions than he'd had earlier, but two new...connections? He felt a strange humming in his chest, and a voice whispering in his ear, but didn't know what it meant. The same thing had happened all those years ago when he'd met Sae, and even earlier when he'd made his deal with Shido. It was all very strange, really.

That was a thought for another day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i think im gonna include chatfic elements for when im lazy

**Author's Note:**

> i promise ill update my other stuff
> 
> one day
> 
> sorry for short chapter. i wouldve written more but tbh i have to finish an essay and like im abt to drop hahaha  
> ha  
> ...send help
> 
> yo if i screwed up on tense pls tell me oop i do that. comes with writing in present tense when you rp but in past tense when youre like actually writing ahudkahfdg


End file.
